Rava Ladoo (Suji Ladoo)

Rava Ladoo, also called Suji Ladoo, is a popular sweet from India made during the festive season. These melt-in-the-mouth Rava Ladoo need just a few ingredients - roasted semolina, ghee, milk and sugar - and can be made in less than 30 minutes!

The Diwali festivities are in the air and I have been enjoying the making sweet and snacks to share with family and friends.

My family has been enjoying the ladoo's I have been making recently - besan ladoo, chocolate ladoo, coconut ladoo. This Rava Ladoo is a great addition to my ladoo collection.

This Suji or Rava Ladoo is an easy sweet you can make in under 30 minutes. That is a big win, as you don't have to slog for hours getting a sweet made for the family. It is perfect for any festival - Holi, Diwali or Dusshera.

What is Rava Ladoo?

Ladoo (or Laddu) are a popular Indian sweet. They can be made with many different ingredients, and are round in shape. The main ingredients in ladoo are flour, fat and sugar, with other ingredients varying depending on the type of ladoo you are making.

There is a huge variety of ladoo's in India - Besan Ladoo, Coconut Ladoo, Rava Ladoo, Chocolate Ladoo, Motichoor Ladoo....and so many more.

Rava Ladoo is made with semolina (also called sooji or suji) as the main ingredient.

Semolina is slow roasted, then mixed with ghee and sugar, along with the aromatic cardamom, nuts and raisins. Then binded into sweet crunchy sweet balls.

How to make Rava Ladoo?

It is very quick and east to make Suji Ladoo. Measure and have the ingredients ready.

Fry cashews and raisins: Start with frying cashews and then raisins in ghee. Take them out and keep aside. I prefer to fry each separately.

Roast Rava: To the same pan, add rava and roast it while stirring continuously. You want the rava to become light golden, but we don't want the rava to become brown or burn. The rava turns light and aromatic.

Roasting the rava will take about 8-10 minutes and is the most important step of this recipe. You want the rava to cook well, and not be raw. Transfer the rava to a plate and let it cool.

Grind: In a grinder jar, add granulated sugar. Grind it to a fine powder. Wait for 2-3 minutes before opeing the grinder lid, so the powdered sugar settles down.

Open lid and add the roasted rava and cardamom to the grinder, and grind it along with the sugar to make it fine. If the rava is thick, it will be difficult to bind the ladoo. Transfer the mixture back to the large plate. 

Mix: Add warm melted ghee and milk to the roasted rava. Stir the rava mixture with a spoon until it is all combined.

Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time. Add 1 tablespoon, then try to shape the ladoo. If you are not able to bind the ladoo, add 1 tablespoon more milk.

Now make sure the mixture is not hot, and use your hands to mix gently. This is a crumbly mixture and does not form a dough (Note: you can taste the mixture at this time to make sure the sugar is perfect for your taste)

Bind the Ladoo: Take a small portion of the mixture in your hands. Press down hard with your fingers to form a ball. (Note: if you are just not able to make a ball and it is too crumbly, add 1 tablespoon more milk to the mixture and try again)

Repeat the process to make all the ladoo's. You can make 10-12 ladoo's with this mixuture.

Tips to make perfect Suji Ladoo

• Rava (Semolina): Use fine rava in this recipe.
• Roasting Rava: It is important to roast the rava well, as otherwise the ladoo's will have the taste of raw rava.
• Sugar: Use granulated sugar in this recipe, and not store bought powdered sugar, as it has cornstarch in it. 
• Binding Ladoo: Bind the ladoo right away after adding ghee and milk, as otherwise it can get difficult to bind them.
• Adding milk: Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time. Add 1 tablespoon, then try to shape the ladoo. If not, add 1 tablespoon more milk.

These ladoo stay fresh for up to 3 days at room temperature and for a week in the refrigerator. 

I hope you give these delicious ladoo's a try. I would love to hear how they turn out!